Powder Game 4
When you think of what this medium is capable of it's easy to grab for lofty terms like "emergence" or even "organic beauty", but have nothing solid to hold onto. The Powder Game is a rare beacon of hope for those who dream of deep interactivity. It is a fondue of loose goals and free play; creation and destruction wrapped in a tumbling embrace. Oh yeah, this game is that good. The 4.1 version release, from auteur Ha55ii, is the reincarnation of a simpler webtoy we reviewed last summer. In it, you use the mouse to drop different kinds of materials, from powder to oil to ants, and let them interact. Since we last reviewed Powder Game, almost twice the number of elements are now at your disposal. The resulting possibilities will keep you engaged for hours.
The game screen is divided into two halves, the top is the field of play, the bottom half is a tray of words representing different options available to you. Clicking on a word, such as "Water", will assign that element to the mouse-button you pressed. If you then mouse your cursor anywhere in the top half and press that button, water will fall like rain. On the far-right of the bottom tray are words that don't correspond to elements, but instead allow you to change the shading (new shaders include the subtle Blur and the psychedlic Aura), change the scale of your camera view, change the thickness of your brush stroke, as well as save, load and upload different configurations. A search and rating system is in place to allow people to sample the various constructs others have built, and they include interesting contraptions like a vacuum, a hundred different explosive set-ups, zen-like gardens, and much, much more.
Analysis: The addition of key elements to Powder Game 4, such as the ants that transform and burrow into the material they come in contact with, makes the interactions that much deeper. The game has reached a level of maturity that is not only impressive, but suggests a whole new genre of similar games about creation and adjustment. The interaction between magma and ice, one turning the other into water and stone and then back again, is one dynamic that emerges. Another is the proliferation of fire, seed and water by wind, where arboreal kingdoms spread out and are then consumed only to migrate to new territory while fire gives chase. This is a game about building the circle of life. It's amazing that you can feel so much agency and ownership simply by sitting back and watching what you've put into motion. There remains one balancing issue, the viruses infect non-organic elements as well as organic ones, so once you've introduced so many to the system, there is no-way to stop them short of restarting.
There is also a big opportunity here that is merely pointed towards: the inclusion of a human element. Ha55ii has done this somewhat with the stick-figure men, who kick and jump around and are often obliterated by the chaos you effect. If this idea can be taken to the next level, with the humans engaging in basic social interactions, building little homes and communities, a potent ethical dillema comes about. You are playing the role of god by creating and influencing these systems, at what point do you let the system run on its own, and at what point do you intervene? What responsibility do you have to protect life? I'm grateful to Ha55ii for giving me the opportunity to even ask that question.
If you like creation and/or destruction, and enjoy the shock and awe of excellent interactivity, play the Powder Game.
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February 3, 2008 2:00 AM
Walkthrough Guide
To load any of the levels posted here:
Posted by: Jay
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February 3, 2008 11:13 PM
Here is a list of the elements and their interactions... (as of 4.1)
Info
If I missed anything at all, first look back through the list and if it is not there or it is a new discovery... just tell me and I'll be sure to edit/add it into the guide.
'Ere we go!
be sure to read the *info* section
Soilds (12 elements):
(solids that fall sink under liquids and stack in order placed. Non-falling or stationary do not stack as such or sink under liquids.)
Powder
-medium density and fall speed.
-burns with fire and/or magma.
-combines with seed to create tree.
-does not interact with other elements.
Seed
-medium density, slow fall speed.
-burns with fire and/or magma.
-combines with powder and/or tree to create tree.
-does not interact with other elements
Tree
-medium density, does not move.
-creates tree when seed or water is added.
-when set on fire, creates powder.
Gunpowder
-medium density, slow fall speed.
-burns with fire and/ormagma.
Ice
-medium density, does not fall.
-freezes water and snow.
-turns to water when introduced to fire and/or magma
-when blown, turns to snow.
Snow
-medium density, slow fall speed.
-turns to water when it touches any element other than ice.
Superball
-light density, varying fall speed.
-burns when it touches magma.
-bounces when it hits a solid.
-when moving fast enough, it blows up nitro.
Fireworks
-medium density, medium fall speed.
-flies up and explodes with fire and/or magma
-have fireworks on left click and any one of powder, fire, water, seed, gunpowder, ice, superball, fireworks, oil, magma, virus, nitro, or ant on your right click to have an explosion of that element. The default action when right click is not on one of these elements is powder.
C-4
-medium density, does not fall.
-explodes when introduced to fire and/or magma.
Stone
-heavy density, fast fall speed.
-when it hits a liquid, stone pushes the liquid above it because of its massive density.
-transforms to magma when introduced to magma.
-when near a c-4 or nitro explosion, it turns to powder.
Virus
-medium density, medium fall speed.
-combines with any element from powder to ant (not fan) and turns it into virus but then switches back to that element.
Ant
-medium density, faster than medium fall speed.
-when introduced to ice, c-4 or tree, it digs in a unique way depending on its position and tunnels.
-cannot be cloned.
Torch
-Stays in place. (solid)
-When exposed to tree, turns tree into torch.
-Lights what it touches on fire.
-Destroyed by water.
Liquids (4 elements):
(liquids all fall and shift with each other by density [top to bottom is oil, water, and nitro] but magma cannot be determined)
Water
-medium fall speed.
-when it touches magma, it creates stone.
-puts out fire.
Oil
-medium fall speed.
-catches fire
Nitro
-medium fall speed.
-explodes when set on fire (or magma), extreme air preasure, and other explosions.
Magma
-fast fall speed unknown density though beacuse it burns through most things.
-a liquid form of fire.
Other elements and moving. (11)
(these are those that do not work like solids or liquid or they move.)
Fire
-creates a high preasure and burns things.
Fan
-a continuous stream of wind, pen size increases power.
Clone
-clones any element (except ant) continuously. The speed of the cloning is determined by the surface area.
Wind
-pushes movable elements and interacts with others, air creates high and low preasures and can help defy gravity.
Air
-pushes out air creating high preasure on left click and a suction on right click.
Drag
-drags any loose element/moving, pen size affects ammount dragged and ammount of force.
-if strong enough (at least pen size 1) will break stone into powder and will explode nitro.
Bubble
-creates a ring that turns into any element it touches, or suds if it hits bloc.
-simple click and response action.
-affected by air preasure.
Suds
-Bubbles and quickly disperses
-has no effect on any element, just a neat sparkle.
Wheel
-affects most elements.
-spins and and pushes elements on the right or left up if another element is falling on the opposite side.
Fighter
-an armless stick figure that kicks around.
-dies when it touches fire, magma or hits a border.
-kicks box.
-makes it way to the top of elements.
Box
-a box that changes size with pen size.
I hope you find this helpful... This is as of 4.1 and may need updated by 4.2...
Enjoy :)
[Update (2/18): Torch added (thanks kevin!). -Jay]
Posted by: Ninjaz | February 14, 2008 3:58 PM